Automatic crossing-gate.



O. M. WALRATH.

AUTOMATIC CROSSING GATE. APPLICATION FILED MAR 18, 1915.

Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

alumna wow 610504, mu o 0 M. WALRATH.

AUTOMATIC CROSSING GATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 18, I915. 1 172 32?! Patented Beb.22,191b.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

Lil-L5); iii L 1 E I Q Q Witweaoom amvamtoz OTIS M. WALRATH, or HANOVER,OHIO.

AUTOMATIC CROSSING-GATE.

Application filed March 18, 1915.

letters and'figures of reference marked there- 7 on, which form a partof this specification.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in automatic gatesfor grade crossings, etc., and consists in a simple. and efficientapparatus of'this nature having various details of construction,combinations and arrangements of parts which will be hereinafter fullydescribed, shown in the accompanying drawings and then specificallydefined in the appended claim.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one type of the apparatus. Fig. 2 is asectional View on line :22 of- Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail View of aclutch mechanism for preventing the reverse motion of the driving shaft.Fig. 4 is a view of a modified form of the apparatus, and Fig. 5 is asectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. 4.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by numeral, 1, 1designate concrete foundations to which are securely anchored in anysuitable manner the pillars 2 which are spaced apart, a recess 3 beingformed in the upper portion of the base and in which piers 4 are placedupon the sup porting bars for a shaft 5 upon which a grooved idlerpulley 6 is mounted. A horizontally disposed cross beam 7 connects theupper ends of the pier and carries suitable hangers in which the shaft 8is journaled, which shaft has a gear 9 fixed thereto which is in meshwith a gear 10 loosely mounted upon the motor shaft 11 of the motor 1:2,said motor being mounted in a suitable housing 13. and which gear wheel10 has a collar or flange 10' notched as at 10. A collar 11 is fixed tothe shaft -11 and has a lug 11 projecting therefrom which is adapted toengage said notchand cause the gear wheel 10 to be driven forward whenthe shaft rotates in one direction, but on a reverse movementSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

Serial No. 15,223.

said driving shaft 11 will move independent of the gear wheel 10, the"latter being at rest in such reverse movement. Pulleys 14 are fixed tosaid shaft, one between each pair of pillars and about which groovedpulleys 1.4 the cables 15 pass.

17 designates a horizontally disposed gate to the upper edges ofwhichcorresponding ends of the cables 15 are connected, while'the otherends of the latter, after beingpassed about thegrooved pulleys 14, areconnected to the lower edge of the gate adjacent to each end and in thespace intermediate the pairs of pillars, as shown clearly in Fig. 1.

Suitable rollers, designated by numeral 18, are attached to the gate,preferably four upon each end or sides of the latter and both topand'bottom, and are adapted to work in grooves 19 in the adjacent edgesof the pillars and provided for the purpose of reducing the frictionincident to contact of parts of the gate to a minimum and prevent any abinding of the gate in operation, the upper ends of said grooves servingalso to limit the upper movement of the gate by the wheels coming incontact therewith.

Buffer springs 20 are positioned at various locations as shown in thedrawings, one upon each concrete foundation or base, and others fastenedto the pillars, as shown in Fig. l of. the drawings and are provided forthe purpose of preventing any jar incident to the gate as it is raisedor lowered to its limit in either direction. Auxiliary cables,designated by numeral 21, are fastened to the gate and pass about idlers22 mounted upon the shaft 8, and weights 23 are fastened to theauxiliary cables and are adapted to counterbalance the weight of thegate.

In the modified form of the apparatus, as disclosed by Figs. 4 and 5,the device is adapted for use in a pit, parts being modimounted upon thepillars 46 and which pass about pulleys 47 upon the working shaft 42'.In this form of the invention, the gate move through a slot 50 formed inthe ground and which has a hinged closure 51 so arranged that it willopen to allow the gate to be raised and remain open until the gatelowers, after which the closure willbe automatically thrown down toposition to close the slot or opening in the ground to prevent foreignmatter falling through the same. Said shaft 42' has drums 22 fixedthereto about which a cable 21 winds, said cable passing about a pulley22 upon the shaft 22", and a weight 23 is fastened to the end of thecable 21.

The electrical means for setting the motor in operation may be of anyconventional typ commonly employed in connection with signals wherebythe locomotive passing over tracks will close circuits to operate themotor and set the gate in operation and, as this forms no part of thepresent invention, detailed description of the same is omitted. Sufficeit to say, it is my purpose to so equip railway tracks with electricalconnections so that, when trains approach from either direction and passa switch, the motor will be correspondingly set in operation to closethe gates and open the same after-the train has passed, and a suitablealarm, either visible or soundlng, may be employed in connection withtheapparatus to give signal of the approach of trains and closing of thesame,

\Vhat I claim to be new is An automatic gate for grade crossings,

7 comprising upright pillars spaced apart and arranged in pairs, theinner surfaces of the pillars having channels extending partially thelength thereof, a driving shaft journaled upon said pillars, pulleysfixed to the shaft,

,bases for said pillars with recesses in their upper faces, the endwalls of said pillars being flush with the opposite Walls of saidrecesses, a gate. wheels mounted upon the opposite faces of the latterand adapted to Witnesses:

P. M. BRILL, Dan. V. FLEMING.

,OTIS M. VALRATH.

